Episode 240 No. 88: The Gathering of Villains (4)
As the five superhumans rushed in with hoes, the weed field quickly turned into a wasteland.
As a result, as I predicted,
[Five hundred years of sewerage (B)]
Another large root of water parsley emerged.
Thanks to that, the slight dissatisfaction Jang Mu-geuk had has completely disappeared.
Rather, he looked very satisfied.
“Let’s take a side trip for a moment. Two high-grade elixirs. This is a good start.”
“Brother Kim is very knowledgeable, so I always benefit from it.”
Go Hyun-woo was also busy praising me.
In fact, this hidden piece is the type that is difficult to find, even though it looks like it was eaten raw.
This is because you have to search every nook and cranny of the large dungeon and even turn over the weeds.
Although it was information I could sell, I chose to share it with my party members without holding back.
‘That’s better for me too.’
[Bloodclotting herb (D)]*3
[Short story (C)]*2
[Full leaf (C)]*2
… … .
A pile of poisonous weeds dug up with the help of labor.
It’s by no means worthless, but it all came back to me thanks to the merit of revealing the location of the elixir.
I’ll distribute the elixir later, and I’ll use the poison well.
“Let’s go get it now. Ghostly.”
“Are you finally going?”
An unmistakable sense of anticipation could be seen in Jang Moo-geuk’s tone.
It was understandable, since what I had wanted and waited for so long was right in front of me.
We returned the way we came, to the entrance of the bamboo forest, and headed straight inside.
As we continued walking, the fog slowly began to settle.
The fog continued to thicken until it became impossible to see even the people behind us, let alone our feet.
But it’s broad daylight and it was a sunny day just a moment ago, so how can it be this foggy?
Dang Gyu-yeong looked around and said.
“That’s the formula.”
“that’s right.”
There is a fairly high level of formation set up in this area.
Obscuring vision with fog has a disorienting effect that can even cause loss of sense of direction.
In this situation, continuing without any countermeasures is a very bad choice.
I didn’t think so either, so I turned my head away.
“Go Hyun-woo.”
“Here it is.”
Then, as if he had been waiting, Go Hyun-woo handed me a piece of wood the size of my palm.
A statue of Dharma obtained from Heuksabang.
It is a magical weapon left behind by an unknown swordsman, and is also an instrument that can easily destroy formations.
When conquering [Bongma Talhwan], I also used this to find the upper class leader hidden beyond the formation.
‘It doesn’t work here either.’
As soon as I brought the Dharma statue forward, the effect was immediate.
As a candle lights up the darkness, the fog around me begins to clear, revealing the dirt floor.
‘Excellent performance.’
Ghostly …
It is not inferior at all to the secret movement of the Blood Demon Doma that the Pengmiryeong Expedition is heading towards.
Just as you needed a Jangbodo over there, you also need to prepare a key item here.
Still, the reason I chose to force my way through was because I had the number one corner I trusted, the Dharma statue.
Even though it’s not the exact key, it will act like a master key.
And the second corner of belief is,
‘Right away.’
A veteran sensor holder who can even navigate the confusion formations set up by graduates.
Besides, it is not difficult to find your way here because you have been through this place countless times without the Dharma statue.
Of course, that didn’t apply to the group, so I asked them over my shoulder.
“From now on, stick close to the person in front of you and follow them while looking only at their backs.”
“If we make a mistake, we’ll all scatter?”
“That could be the case.”
Dang Gyu-yeong smiled slightly at my answer.
Then he held out his hand and said.
“Should I grab it and take it?”
“Let’s do that.”
It seemed like there was a lot of intention to satisfy selfish desires, but it is also true that holding hands makes you feel more stable.
Dang Gyu-yeong also extended his other hand behind him, perhaps not out of selfish motives.
“Catch Dabin.”
“Yes, sir.”
Then, Cha Da-bin held hands with Go Hyun-woo, and Jang Moo-geuk grabbed Go Hyun-woo’s hand with a very unpleasant attitude.
“… … Do I really have to hold on to it?”
“Haha, it’s for safety reasons.”
After confirming that the human train was complete, I turned my gaze forward again.
And he started to walk forward, holding the statue of Dharma forward.
“Then follow me. The Kim Ho train is departing.”
“Let’s go~”
Dang Gyu-yeong giggled behind his back.
The Kim Ho train sometimes went in a straight line and sometimes twisted and turned according to the terrain of the bamboo forest.
Sometimes the path split into two or three paths, but most of the time, when the statue of Dharma was pushed in, it narrowed down to one path as if it were a lie.
And if it doesn’t narrow down,
‘Just take a good look and go.’
If I focus my eyes, I can get a feel for where to go.
As we continued to advance in a fist-fighting manner, the fog began to clear a little and a wide open space appeared.
Looking around, I saw that in addition to the tall bamboo trees, there were also several stone statues erected.
The stone statues each held a short candle, which lit up on its own as soon as we entered the open space.
– Hwaruk, hwaruk,
And as each candle was lit, the fog in one corner of the lot cleared, revealing a narrow path.
Dang Gyu-yeong looked at it and asked.
“If the lights go out, that will disappear too?”
“Yes, you have to keep it on.”
As we entered the vacant lot, candles were lit and a path was revealed.
That means someone has to stay in this open space to keep the bypass open.
However, it would be difficult to just waste time here.
Because it wasn’t just the side road that appeared as the candles lit.
– Ss …
A presence was felt from all directions, and then black masked figures walked out through the bamboo forest.
He was dressed in black from head to toe, and even the weapons he held were painted black.
It was as if they had expected us to come here and were waiting in ambush, but since there was no way they could have predicted it, there was only one answer.
Go Hyun-woo looked at them with interested eyes.
“This is also a true story.”
“Yes, it’s a welcome formation.”
A method to embody welcome.
Fog is the basic, but it can also cause natural disasters such as turning an area into a sea of fire, causing earthquakes, or even making unmanned vehicles or monsters appear like it is now.
“But if it’s a welcome, can’t I just ignore it?”
“Usually, that’s true. But this is far from normal.”
Because it is a welcoming ceremony arranged by Hwanma.
It is of a level that is incomparable to anything else, and the line between reality and fiction is blurred.
If you get hit by their attacks, you will actually get injured.
Go Hyun-woo fell asleep.
“Hmm, then a big battle is inevitable.”
“Watch out, they’re pretty strong.”
Also, the strength of each and every one of the black masked beings is not insignificant.
The biggest reason I left out Shin Byeong-cheol was because of this welcome party.
It would be at least somewhat doable if one had the skills of Jang Moo-geuk or Go Hyun-woo.
– Ss …
The black masked men are closing in on the encirclement by the second.
I stood in front of the side road, as a battle was about to break out.
“Please hold on and buy some time. I’ll be back shortly.”
“Yeah, I’ll go and come back.”
I left Dang Gyu-yeong behind and entered the side road.
At that moment, the men in black rushed in all at once, and the sound of weapons clashing resounded.
But the noise became muffled and soon disappeared after only a few steps.
As if obscured by fog.
‘I’m sure you’ll do well.’
Don’t worry, these guys aren’t capable of causing an accident here.
I must remain true to my role.
As we walked diligently, the side road soon ended and another empty lot appeared.
It was very narrow compared to where the party was fighting, and the floor was laid with marble in a square shape.
‘It’s like a one-person training center.’
Also surrounding the marble were giant statues of goblins and demons, each a head or two taller than a person.
It’s as if he’s watching the practitioner.
This is the place where you can obtain the magic of the illusion and the ghost shadow.
Of course, it is not something that can be obtained just by discovering it.
‘I have to pass the test.’
As soon as I stood in the middle of the marble, a change occurred.
In an instant, fog rolled in like a cloud and obscured everything.
All that is revealed are marble floors and statues of evil spirits and goblins.
– Kookookookook,
Then, all the stone statues rose up at once and strode toward me.
Each of them is holding a long staff or club like the Yeoui Bang, which is as thick as a building pillar, so much so that it looks like even a slight hit would break their bones.
It was a situation that would instinctively make anyone feel threatened, but I just stood on the marble with my arms hanging down.
‘There’s no point in fighting.’
Anyway, this is also a part of the welcome party.
It’s hard to knock them down, and even if you do, a new statue is quickly replenished, so it’s a waste of stamina.
‘It’s not something that can be done by pushing through with force.’
You can use tricks to get to the point of karma, but getting skills/traits from there is a different matter.
I have no choice but to take the test according to Hwanma’s intention.
Of course, since it is a test, there are some tips.
‘Let’s pretend the statue doesn’t exist.’
It doesn’t mean you can ignore it and get hit.
It means to let go of your fear of the statue and focus on something else.
I lowered my gaze slightly from the front.
Footprints were being left behind, one by one, as if someone had walked ahead.
I move forward stepping on them.
– Boohoo!
The stone statues brandished their heavy weapons, but I focused all my attention on their footsteps.
Of course, I have to step accurately, and my gestures have to be natural as well.
And to connect smoothly with the next step.
Even though I didn’t try to dodge, their attacks missed me by a hair’s breadth.
‘That’s why I’m telling you to pretend it doesn’t exist.’
Because you can evade it just by moving as you are told.
Rather, the more conscious you are, the more tense you become and your concentration becomes distracted, making it difficult to follow your footsteps accurately.
The trials of the magician continued.
It seemed like I had made quite a bit of progress, but I was still in the middle of the training ground, still surrounded by stone statues.
‘The difficulty level is gradually increasing.’
As I thought about it, the stone statues’ attacks became more intense.
Previously, two or three people were swinging their weapons, but now the number has increased to five or six, and the swing speed has also become much faster.
In accordance with this, the footprints were also taken more quickly.
Sometimes you have to follow them in a zigzag pattern, leaving wide gaps between them, and sometimes you have to follow them straight away in an irregular pattern to avoid getting hit by the statues.
– Thud! Kookung!
There was a loud noise and a flying shower of rocks as heavy weapons slammed into the back or right next to them.
Yet I continued to ignore him completely, half-oblivious, and just kept stepping on his footsteps.
How many times did you repeat that?
I stopped in place because I couldn’t see the footprints that had been appearing without stopping for even a moment.
Looking around, I saw that the fog had cleared and the empty lot had returned to its original appearance.
The training grounds that should have been shattered into pieces were intact, and the stone statues were still in their places.
As if nothing had happened.
‘It’s over.’
I have passed the test of the illusion.
As if to confirm that thought, a notification message appeared in the corner of my vision.
[You have acquired ‘Ghostless Shadow’.]
The supporters ate it all
